Underwater avalanches, seabird red list, and Hvaldimir the beluga
Big Blue Bulletin #26
Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – a weekly roundup of marine conservation news and updates. Expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.
Let’s dive in 🐬
Ocean news
💡 Thought piece -
🏭 We can power our future by breaking free from the tyranny of fossil fuels
“The upcoming Summit of the Future is an opportunity to shift our path away from fossil fuels and build a better world for our children.”
🌳 The vanishing mangroves of El Salvador: ‘All our efforts may only slow the destruction’
“In Barra de Santiago, local people are struggling to save one of the few remaining mangrove forests, as they are lost to agriculture and urban sprawl.”
“Most of the time safety divers do not need to step in, but our presence gives athletes the security needed for their remarkable underwater feats.”
💧 Water company bosses could face prison time in new crackdown
“Although many topline measures had been previously announced, the details have been cautiously welcomed by green groups as an "important first step" towards cleaning up the country's filthy rivers, lakes and seas.”
🦢 'Amazing' flock of nearly 80 white storks seen in Cornwall for first time since Middle Ages
“The last breeding pair to be recorded in Britain was in 1416, nesting on a cathedral in Edinburgh.”
🐬 The race to find out what killed hundreds of pink dolphins in the Amazon
“Scientists are trying to establish whether global heating caused the deaths of the rare river dolphins last year, before temperatures start to rise again.”
🐦 Five seabirds added to UK red list of most concern
“Five seabird species have been added to the UK red list of birds at most need of conservation, joining others such as the puffin.”
🇬🇷 Greece declares state of emergency over flood of dead fish
“The central port city of Volos has been inundated with tons of dead fish, one of the impacts of last year's catastrophic floods.”
🦈 NSW urged to remove 51 shark nets after hundreds of dolphins and turtles caught last summer
“Advocates against nets say sharks can easily swim underneath them and drone surveillance is more effective.”
🌊 Giant underwater avalanche decimated Atlantic seafloor 60,000 years ago, 1st-of-its-kind map reveals
“Researchers have mapped the path of a giant submarine avalanche that tore through the Agadir Canyon — a deep trench in the Atlantic seafloor off the coast of Morocco — 60,000 years ago.”
🐟 ‘Like doomsday’: why have salmon deserted Norway’s rivers – and will they ever return?
“North Atlantic populations are at a historic low, and this year 33 of the country’s rivers were closed during the fishing season as salmon farming and the climate crisis threaten the fish’s future.”
🦂 Gigantic 8-foot sea scorpions, significantly larger than humans found by scientists
“Scientists have discovered fossils of giant sea scorpions, some up to eight feet long, known as eurypterids. Living around 400 million years ago, these apex predators could cross oceans.”
🐋 Beluga whale alleged to be Russian ‘spy’ was shot, animal rights groups say
“Hvaldimir rose to fame in Norway after his harness sparked suspicions he was Russian spy.”
🏛️ Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson kept in Greenland jail
“A court in Greenland has ruled that anti-whaling activist Paul Watson must remain in custody pending a decision to extradite him to Japan.”
🐙 California to ban octopus farming and sales of farmed octopus
“Plans to farm octopuses have been met with backlash around the world.”
🏔️ ‘A 100-year vision’: Skiddaw’s barren peak to spring to life in ambitious rewilding
“More than 1,200 hectares of Cumbrian forest will be transformed into England’s highest nature reserve.”
🦈 Hunt for great white sharks begins off Irish coast
“The possibility of great whites in British or Irish seas has remained a tantalising prospect - a team of researchers is hoping to turn unconfirmed sightings into reality.”
☣️ Harmful ‘forever chemical’ increasing in groundwater people rely on for drinking, study warns
“Groundwater samples from over 100 wells across Denmark show trifluoroacetate levels have been rising steadily since the 1960s.”
🍎 400 million students have experienced climate-related school closures since 2022, new report says
“Climate change isn’t just having a direct impact on education, it is also overlooked in climate finance spending.”
🏴 Sewage in Scotland’s rivers and beaches far more widespread than realised
“Thousands of undisclosed sewage overflow incidents mean Scotland needs tougher regulations, says watchdog.”
🦞 Great Barrier Reef wants more tourists to visit – and you can save money by learning to protect it
“Tourism is a positive for Australia’s world-famous coral reef, say officials, as more people are urged to visit.”
🇸🇪 Sweden’s ‘largest environmental crime’: 11 people on trial accused of illegally dumping waste
“Waste management company Think Pink is accused of dumping at least 200,000 tonnes of rubbish.”
🦐 A day in the life of a Queensland prawn trawler – in pictures
“Photographer Paul Hilton shadowed Captain Robert Bergholz on his boat Restless to see how a local prawn trawler’s day unfolds.”
❗ Ocean Action
✍️ Tell the Scottish Government: Ban Bottom Trawling in MPAs
“These ocean havens are home to some of Scotland’s most incredible marine wildlife, and it is astounding that this destruction is still allowed.”
✍️ Japan is slaughtering whales and adding more species to its kill list!
“Japan’s decision doesn’t just undermine global whale conservation efforts, it also exacerbates wider threats such as ocean noise, pollution, and climate change.”
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by RSPB
That underwater avalanche story is fascinating! Will give it a mention in my newsletter at some point with a hat-tip to you, because it sounds a lot like the Storegga Slides that are estimated to have created tsunamis that devastated the coastline of the UK and inundated Doggerland around 6,200 BC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storegga_Slide
80 storks eh? Damn, somebody ordered a lot of babies.